verbena-19

About

How much of Earth's atmosphere must we contaminate? How much of our lands and waters must we pollute? How much of our resources must we plunder, deplete? How many species must we ravage, despoil, extinguish? How many people must we degrade, deprive, destroy with toxic wastes and wars, before we learn to respect one another, to live in harmony on this planet, our Home?
"All living beings are brothers and sisters, nourished from the same source of life.." -- Thich Nhat Hanh

About Me

I was born in Eastern Europe during the height of the
Stalinist regime's reign of terror. Thus, I know what it is like to live under a repressive, dictatorial regime. The fear and terror -- as dissident friends and family members were tortured, imprisoned and some were executed -- is indelibly etched in my memory. That is the reason I have always been an ardent advocate of freedom, social justice, civil liberties, human rights and a voice of peace. The way I see it, war is morally wrong, regardless of who wages it, for whatever reason. No piece of land or commodity is worth the sacrifice of one human life. We are all members of the same race - the "human race" - and must learn to coexist peacefully. Our planet cannot sustain us much longer if we do not stop our wars, nukes, polluting, deforestation, and the wasteful, gluttonous consumption and depletion of our natural resources.

âA satisfyingly virulent, comical, absurd, deeply grieving true portrait of how things work today in the sleek factories of conglomerate book producers... A skillful novel of manners -- of very bad mannersâ

Saturday, August 19, 2006

INDIAN SUMMER: THE OKA CRISIS on CBC, Sept. 15 and 22

CBC Television has not yet confirmed the premiere broadcast date of the two-part mini-series: INDIAN SUMMER: THE OKA CRISIS. However, according to the broadcast schedule on www.cbc.ca, the show will air on September 15 (part 1) and September 22 (part 2) at 8:00 pm.

INDIAN SUMMER: THE OKA CRISIS (2 x 90 min.) was awarded Best Dramatic Feature at the 2006 Dreamspeakers Film Festival in Edmonton, Canada, and received an Honourable Mention at the 2006 First Peoples' Film Festival in Montreal.

CO-OPRADIO.ORG presents The Madness of George W. Bush - Monday Aug 21 Noon - 1 PM PT, with special guest, author Paul Levy, who penned the article below. Levy writes that the American President is suffering from a "psycho-spiritual dis-ease of the soul": ‘malignant egophrenic disease' [ME].

"This universe is a dream that all six billion of us are collaboratively dreaming up into materialization together. When we realize this, we can put our lucidity together in a way where we can co-creatively dream up a much more grace-filled universe into incarnation. This is nothing other than an evolutionary quantum leap in human consciousness, unimaginable until now." - Paul Levy

GUEST: A conversation with Paul Levy, author of "The Madness of George W. Bush: A Reflection of Our Collective Psychosis".

THE MADNESS OF GEORGE W. BUSH: A REFLECTION OF OUR COLLECTIVE PSYCHOSIS

by Paul Levy

George W. Bush is ill. He has a psycho-spiritual dis-ease of the soul, a sickness that is endemic to our culture and symptomatic of the times we live in. It’s an illness that has been with us since time immemorial. Because it’s an illness that's in the soul of all of humanity, it pervades the field and is in all of us in potential at any moment, which makes it especially hard to diagnose. Bush's malady is quite different from schizophrenia, for example, in which all the different parts of the personality are fragmented and not connected to each other, resulting in a state of internal chaos. As compared to the dis-order of the schizophrenic, Bush can sound quite coherent and can appear like such a "regular," normal guy, which makes the syndrome he is suffering from very hard to recognize. This is because the healthy parts of his personality have been co-opted by the pathological aspect, which drafts them into its service. Because of the way the personality self-organizes an outer display of coherence around a pathogenic core, I would like to name Bush's illness ‘malignant egophrenic (as compared to schizophrenic) disease,’ or ‘ME disorder,’ for short. If ME disorder goes unrecognized and is not contained, it can be very destructive, particularly if the person is in a position of power.

In much the same way that a child's psychology cannot be understood without looking at the family system he or she is a part of, George Bush does not exist in isolation. We can view Bush and his entire Administration (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Wolfowitz, etc), as well as the corporate, military industrial complex that they are co-dependently enmeshed with, the media that they control, the voters that support them, and ourselves as well, as interconnected parts of a whole system, or a "field." Instead of relating to any part of this field as an isolated entity, it’s important to contemplate the entire interdependent field as the ‘medium’ through which malignant egophrenia manifests and propagates itself. ME disease is a field phenomenon, and needs to be contemplated as such. Bush's sickness is our own.

THE DISEASE IS NON-LOCAL

Being a field phenomenon, malignant egophrenia is non-local in nature, which means that it is not bound by the limitations of time or space. Being non-local, this disease pervades and underlies the entire field and can therefore manifest anywhere, through anyone and at any moment. The disease's non-local nature makes the question of who has the disease irrelevant, as we all have it in potential. It is more a question of whether or not we are aware of our susceptibility to fall prey to the disease. This awareness itself serves as an immunization that protects us from the pernicious effects of the illness, thereby allowing us to be of genuine help to others.

Bush, like all of us, is both a manifestation of this deeper field and simultaneously an agent effecting this field. He’s become so fully taken over by the disease, all the while not suspecting a thing, that he’s become a "carrier" for this deadly disease, thus infecting the field around him. He’s become a portal through which the field around him "warps" in such a way as to feed and support his pathogenic process. A non-local, reciprocally co-arising and interdependent field of unconscious denial and cover-up gets constellated around Bush to enable and protect his pathology. People who support Bush are actually complicit with and enabling Bush’s madness in a co-dependent, self-reinforcing feedback loop that is ‘closed,’ which is to say it is insular and not open to any feedback from the ‘real’ world.

Bush supporters are not merely disinterested in seeing that they are in denial of reality; on the contrary, they actively don’t want to look at this, which is to say they resist self-reflection at all costs. Bush and his supporters perversely interpret any feedback from the real world which reflects back their unconsciousness as itself evidence that proves the rightness of their viewpoint. All of Bush’s supporters mutually reinforce each other’s unconscious resistance to such a degree that a collective, interdependent field of impenetrability gets collectively conjured up by them that literally resists consciousness.

People who don't recognize Bush's illness and support him are unconsciously colluding with and enabling in the co-creation of the pathological field that is incarnating itself into the human family. People who support Bush become unwitting agents through which this non-local disease feeds and replicates itself. By supporting Bush they are collaborating with and becoming parts of the greater, interconnected and self-organizing field of the disease.

The situation is very analogous to when seemingly good, normal, loving Germans supported Hitler, believing he was a good leader trying to help them. The German people didn't realize that the virulent pathogen malignant egophrenia had taken possession of Hitler and was incarnating itself through him. By not seeing this and supporting Hitler, they became agents used by this non-local, deadly disease to propagate itself. This was a collective psychosis, and this is what is taking place in our country right now.

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The attacks of September 11, 2001 remain both an overwhelming and under-considered horror. Tomdispatch will devote the week leading up to the fifth anniversary of 9/11 to various reconsiderations of that moment. In the meantime, the anniversary season was inaugurated early by World Trade Center, Oliver Stone's reverent blockbuster movie. Ruth Rosen went to see it recently and explains just why September 11th, which brought out so much that was positive in those who rushed to the scene to help, still brings out so much of the Bush-era worst in so many of the rest of us. Tom

Oliver Stone, 9/11, and the Big Lie

By Ruth Rosen

When World Trade Center ended, I left the theater tense, my muscles aching. The superb directing and acting, coupled with still hardly imaginable scenes of death and destruction, had sent painful muscle spasms up my back, evoked tears, and left me, yet again, with searing and indelible images of that hellish morning.

I felt disoriented in the bright sunlight of a Northern Californian afternoon. As my mind regained its critical faculties, however, another kind of shock set in. I suddenly realized that Oliver Stone's movie reinforces the Big Lie -- endlessly repeated by Dick Cheney, echoed and amplified by the right-wing media -- that 9/11 was somehow linked to Iraq or supported by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

It might surprise you that this Oliver Stone film is neither ideological, nor conspiratorial, which in my view is just as it should be. Instead, it is a portrayal of what the men who braved hell and the families who anguished over their survival experienced.

World Trade Center gives 9/11 a distinctly human face by following two Port Authority policemen and their families. We watch the men muster their courage to help evacuate people in one of the towers; we gasp as they are buried alive; we wince as heavy slabs of cement crush their bodies; and we hold our breath as they struggle to keep each other going in the face of imminent death.

Expert editing brings us the anguish suffered by their wives, children, and relatives. Some are in denial, others in shock. Some have faith; others are resigned to the men's deaths. They live in their own hell and we empathize with their wrenching agony.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

In this dispatch, independent journalist Dahr Jamail thanks all those who kindly contributed funding towards his recent Middle East trip, and includes a few of the highlights.

August 15, 2006

Thanks for your Contributions

We would like to thank everyone who contributed funding towards Dahr Jamail's recent trip to the Middle East. The following are just a few of the highlights of Dahr's reporting which your generous donations made possible. We hope that everyone who donated feels a sense of pride in that they assisted in getting this information out to the world.

Sincere thanks,Webteam and Dahr Jamail

*Headlined by CommonDreams.org:**Lebanese Tremors Rock Syria*Inter Press ServiceDahr Jamail*DAMASCUS, Jul 13 (IPS) - Syrians are outraged over Israeli air strikes in Lebanon that have killed 53 civilians and closed down Beirut's international airport.*

*QANA, Aug 1 (IPS) - Red Cross workers and residents of Qana, where Israeli bombing killed at least 60 civilians, have told IPS that no Hezbollah rockets were launched from the city before the Israeli air strike. *

You can always spot them a mile away-he was white, middle-aged, overweight, hair cut close to hide the pattern baldness, red face, wearing a Harley Davidson motorcycle t-shirt and shorts. All of the aforementioned is acceptable in the Middle East, of course, minus the shorts. Aside from a few places like Beirut, wearing shorts in the Middle East isn't exactly being respectful of the native culture.

But when you are a mercenary, I suppose that's damned low on your priority list.

In this interview, David Barsamian talks with Dahr from Beirut. Dahr candidly relates what he has seen and experienced in Lebanon during the Israeli assault. A great conversation regarding the situation in Lebanon between two established independent journalists.

In this five minute clip, Dahr Jamail reports from the Hospitals in Beruit. He describes evidence of the use of white phosphorus and cluster bombs by the Israelis against the Lebanese. Dahr Jamail has spoken to some of the doctors that are working in Beruit. One doctor said that 55% of all of the casualties in Beruit were 15 years or younger and that 30% of all of the casualties from the Israeli attacks are dying. The doctor explained the high percentage of deaths being due to new weapons being used by Israel.

_______________________________________________(c)2006 Dahr Jamail.All images, photos, photography and text are protected by United States and international copyright law. If you would like to reprint Dahr's Dispatches on the web, you need to include this copyright notice and a prominent link to the DahrJamailIraq website. Website by photographer Jeff Pflueger's Photography Media. Any other use of images, photography, photos and text including, but not limited to, reproduction, use on another website, copying and printing requires the permission of Dahr Jamail. Of course, feel free to forward Dahr's dispatches via email.

This piece was written by Greg Palast as a BuzzFlash guest contribution. In his hard-hitting, witty style, best-selling author Palast treads where others fear to go. He contends that Bush's 'War on Terror' is bogus; that it is a "fear factory" created by the Bush Administration. " War on Terror is class war by other means -- to keep you from asking for real protection from true menace, the landlords of our nation give you fake protection from manufactured dangers", writes Palast.

"Fear sells better than sex. Fear is the sales pitch for many lucrative products: from billion-dollar sailor injectors to one very lucrative war in Mesopotamia (a third of a trillion dollars doled out, no audits, no questions asked). "

Greg Palast is the author of the just-released New York Times bestseller, "ARMED MADHOUSE: Who's Afraid of Osama Wolf?, China Floats Bush Sinks, the Scheme to Steal '08, No Child's Behind Left and other Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Class War" from which this is adapted. Go to www.GregPalast.com.

News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International

Lebanon/Israel: 1.8 million asked to write to Israeli government demanding safe passage for trapped civilians

Amnesty International has launched an "Urgent Action" to its 1.8 million members around the world calling on them to write to the Israeli Minister of Defence, Amir Peretz, asking him to take urgent steps to ensure safe passage for civilians in the south of Lebanon.

Israeli bombardment of roads, bridges, telecommunication transmitters, electricity networks and fuel depots throughout southern Lebanon has forced tens of thousand of civilians to flee their homes. But thousands of others who were unable to leave are now trapped in the area.

"The plight of civilians in the south of Lebanon is at crisis point. Evacuation of civilians who wish to leave must happen immediately, and emergency supplies and aid needs to reach villages in Southern Lebanon urgently," said Kate Gilmore, Amnesty International's ExecutiveDeputy Secretary General.

"The Israeli authorities must allow immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access, as well as safe passage out of Southern Lebanon. It is absolutely shameful that humanitarian convoys trying to deliver badly needed aid cannot gain safe access."

For at least a week, neither the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), nor any other humanitarian or relief organization, has been able to reach the villages under Israeli siege. United Nations' top humanitarian official Jan Egeland on Thursday criticised Israel and Hizbullah for hindering access to 120,000 people still in South Lebanon, calling it a "disgrace".

Amnesty International delegates who visited a number of villages earlier this week reported that in at least two of them, Aitatoun and Bint Jbail, more than 200 people remain trapped, including women, children, elderly and disabled people. At least one of those trapped is a pregnant woman.

The Amnesty International delegates described the unbearable stench of rotting corpses that pervades the villages as the bodies of people killed in their homes remain under the rubble, roaming dogs often indicating where bodies are buried.

"The dire humanitarian situation is not exclusive to the villages that our delegates were able to visit, the situation of despair of those who remain trapped by the conflict is likely to be replicated in villages all over the south of Lebanon," said Kate Gilmore.

"Israel's repeated calls for residents to evacuate villages has led to massive internal displacement. The mere issuing of warnings does not excuse disrespect for the rules of war," Kate Gilmore cautioned.

Amnesty International called on Israel to respect the distinction, that is protected under law, between civilian and military objects. It must put an end to the direct, disproportionate and indiscriminate targeting of civilian objects, such as residential buildings and medical facilities.

*****************************************************************You may repost this message onto other sources provided the main text is not altered in any way and both the header crediting Amnesty International and this footer remain intact. Only the list subscription message may be removed.*****************************************************************Past and current Amnesty news services can be found at http://www.amnesty.org/news/.

Visit www.amnesty.org for information about Amnesty International and for other AI publications. Contact amnestyis@amnesty.org if you need to get in touch with the International Secretariat of Amnesty International.

The Hiroshima Peace Declaration

The City of Hiroshima has issued the Peace Declarations since 1947 except in 1950. The full text of the Declarations in English since 1997 is available at http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/. You will find also the history of the Peace Declarations and other information there.

Radiation, heat, blast and their synergetic effects created a hell on Earth. Sixty-one years later, the number of nations enamored of evil and enslaved by nuclear weapons is increasing. The human family stands at a crossroads. Will all nations be enslaved? Or will all nations be liberated? This choice poses another question. Is it acceptable for cities, and especially the innocent children who live in them, to be targeted by nuclear weapons?

The answer is crystal clear, and the past sixty-one years have shown us the path to liberation.

From a hell in which no one could have blamed them for choosing death, the hibakusha set forth toward life and the future. Living with injuries and illnesses eating away at body and mind, they have spoken persistently about their experiences. Refusing to bow before discrimination, slander, and scorn, they have warned continuously that "no one else should ever suffer as we did." Their voices, picked up by people of conscience the world over, are becoming a powerful mass chorus.

The keynote is, "The only role for nuclear weapons is to be abolished." And yet, the world's political leaders continue to ignore these voices. The International Court of Justice advisory opinion handed down ten years ago, born of the creative action of global civil society, should have been a highly effective tool for enlightening and guiding them toward the truth.

The Court found that ". . .the threat or use of nuclear weapons would generally be contrary to the rules of international law," and went on to declare, "There exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control."

If the nuclear-weapon states had taken the lead and sought in good faith to fulfill this obligation, nuclear weapons would have been abolished already. Unfortunately, during the past ten years, most nations and most people have failed to confront this obligation head-on. Regretting that we have not done more, the City of Hiroshima, along with Mayors for Peace, whose member cities have increased to 1,403, is launching Phase II of our 2020 Vision Campaign. This phase includes the Good Faith Challenge, a campaign to promote the good-faith negotiations for nuclear disarmament called for in the ICJ advisory opinion, and a Cities Are Not Targets project demanding that nuclear-weapon states stop targeting cities for nuclear attack.

Nuclear weapons are illegal, immoral weapons designed to obliterate cities. Our goals are to reveal the delusions behind "nuclear deterrence theory" and the "nuclear umbrella," which hold cities hostage, and to protect, from a legal and moral standpoint, our citizens' right to life.

Taking the lead in this effort is the US Conference of Mayors, representing 1,139 American cities. At its national meeting this past June, the USCM adopted a resolution demanding that all nuclear-weapon states, including the United States, immediately cease all targeting of cities with nuclear weapons.

Cities and citizens of the world have a duty to release the lost sheep from the spell and liberate the world from nuclear weapons. The time has come for all of us to awaken and arise with a will that can penetrate rock and a passion that burns like fire.

I call on the Japanese government to advocate for the hibakusha and all citizens by conducting a global campaign that will forcefully insist that the nuclear-weapon states "negotiate in good faith for nuclear disarmament." To that end, I demand that the government respect the Peace Constitution of which we should be proud. I further request more generous, people-oriented assistance appropriate to the actual situations of the aging hibakusha, including those living overseas and those exposed in "black rain areas."

To console the many victims whose names remain unknown, this year for the first time we added the words, "Many Unknown" to the ledger of victims' names placed in the cenotaph. We humbly pray for the peaceful repose of the souls of all atomic bomb victims and a future of peace and harmony for the human family.

Monday, August 14, 2006

In this latest dispatch, independent journalist Dahr Jamail writes about the Veterans for Peace National Convention he attended on Saturday night where Lt. Ehren Watada, surrounded by over 50 members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, gave a moving, impassioned speech.

He urged the audience to follow their conscience and stop the war on Iraq by acting upon a "radical idea: ... that to stop an illegal and unjust war, the soldiers can choose to stop fighting it."

For those who don't already know, Lt. Ehren Watada became the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to the unlawful war and occupation in Iraq.

Ehren Watada

By Dahr Jamailt r u t h o u t | Perspective

Monday 14 August 2006

On Saturday night, I was lucky enough to be at the Veterans for Peace National Convention. For that night, Lt. Ehren Watada was able to give the following speech, which I've just received permission to post here.

The speech was met with a powerful, standing ovation from the vets who've been there.

Lt. Ehren Watada, for those who don't already know, became the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to the unlawful war and occupation in Iraq. While doing this on June 22, 2006, Watada said, "As the order to take part in an illegal act is ultimately unlawful as well, I must refuse that order."

Just as Watada took the stage and began to speak, over 50 members of Iraq Veterans Against the War filed in behind him. Watada, surprised by this and obviously taken aback by the symbolic act, turned back to the audience, took some deep breaths, then gave this speech:

Thank you everyone. Thank you all for your tremendous support. How honored and delighted I am to be in the same room with you tonight. I am deeply humbled by being in the company of such wonderful speakers.

You are all true American patriots. Although long since out of uniform, you continue to fight for the very same principles you once swore to uphold and defend. No one knows the devastation and suffering of war more than veterans - which is why we should always be the first to prevent it.

I wasn't entirely sure what to say tonight. I thought as a leader in general I should speak to motivate. Now I know that this isn't the military and surely there are many out there who outranked me at one point or another - and yes, I'm just a Lieutenant. And yet, I feel as though we are all citizens of this great country and what I have to say is not a matter of authority - but from one citizen to another. We have all seen this war tear apart our country over the past three years. It seems as though nothing we've done, from vigils to protests to letters to Congress, have had any effect in persuading the powers that be.

Tonight I will speak to you on my ideas for a change of strategy. I am here tonight because I took a leap of faith. My action is not the first and it certainly will not be the last. Yet, on behalf of those who follow, I require your help - your sacrifice - and that of countless other Americans. I may fail. We may fail. But nothing we have tried has worked so far. It is time for change and the change starts with all of us.

I stand before you today, not as an expert - not as one who pretends to have all the answers. I am simply an American and a servant of the American people. My humble opinions today are just that. I realize that you may not agree with everything I have to say. However, I did not choose to be a leader for popularity. I did it to serve and make better the soldiers of this country. And I swore to carry out this chargehonorably under the rule of law.

Today, I speak with you about a radical idea. It is one born from the very concept of the American soldier (or service member). It became instrumental in ending the Vietnam War - but it has been long since forgotten. The idea is this: that to stop an illegal and unjust war, the soldiers can choose to stop fighting it.

Now it is not an easy task for the soldier. For he or she must be aware that they are being used for ill-gain. They must hold themselves responsible for individual action. They must remember duty to the Constitution and the people supersedes the ideologies of their leadership. The soldier must be willing to face ostracism by their peers, worry over the survival of their families, and of course the loss of personal freedom. They must know that resisting an authoritarian government at home is equally important to fighting a foreign aggressor on the battlefield. Finally, those wearing the uniform must know beyond any shadow of a doubt that by refusing immoral and illegal orders they will be supported by the people not with mere words but by action.

The American soldier must rise above the socialization that tells them authority should always be obeyed without question. Rank should be respected but never blindly followed. Awareness of the history of atrocities and destruction committed in the name of America - either through direct military intervention or by proxy war - is crucial. They must realize that this is a war not out of self-defense but by choice,for profit and imperialistic domination. WMD, ties to Al Qaeda, and ties to 9/11 never existed and never will. The soldier must know that our narrowly and questionably elected officials intentionally manipulated the evidence presented to Congress, the public, and the world to make the case for war. They must know that neither Congress nor this administration has the authority to violate the prohibition against pre-emptive war - an American law that still stands today. This same administration uses us for rampant violations of time-tested laws banning torture and degradation of prisoners of war. Though the American soldier wants to do right, the illegitimacy of the occupation itself, the policies of this administration, and rules of engagement of desperate field commanders will ultimately force them to be party to war crimes. They must know some of these facts, if not all, in order to act.

Mark Twain once remarked, "Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide against your conviction is to be an unqualified and inexcusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country …" By this, each and every American soldier, marine, airman, and sailor is responsible for their choices and their actions. The freedom to choose is only one that we can deny ourselves.

The oath we take swears allegiance not to one man but to a document of principles and laws designed to protect the people. Enlisting in the military does not relinquish one's right to seek the truth - neither does it excuse one from rational thought nor the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. "I was only following orders" is never an excuse.

The Nuremburg Trials showed America and the world that citizenry as well as soldiers have the unrelinquishable obligation to refuse complicity in war crimes perpetrated by their government. Widespread torture and inhumane treatment of detainees is a war crime. A war of aggression born through an unofficial policy of prevention is a crimeagainst the peace. An occupation violating the very essence of international humanitarian law and sovereignty is a crime against humanity. These crimes are funded by our tax dollars. Should citizens choose to remain silent through self-imposed ignorance or choice, it makes them as culpable as the soldier in these crimes.

The Constitution is no mere document - neither is it old, out-dated, or irrelevant. It is the embodiment of all that Americans hold dear: truth, justice, and equality for all. It is the formula for a government of the people and by the people. It is a government that is transparent and accountable to whom they serve. It dictates a system of checks and balances and separation of powers to prevent the evil that is tyranny.

As strong as the Constitution is, it is not foolproof. It does not fully take into account the frailty of human nature. Profit, greed, and hunger for power can corrupt individuals as much as they can corrupt institutions. The founders of the Constitution could not have imagined how money would infect our political system. Neither could they believe a standing army would be used for profit and manifest destiny. Like any common dictatorship, soldiers would be ordered to commit acts of such heinous nature as to be deemed most ungentlemanly and unbecoming that of a free country.

The American soldier is not a mercenary. He or she does not simply fight wars for payment. Indeed, the state of the American soldier is worse than that of a mercenary. For a soldier-for-hire can walk away if they are disgusted by their employer's actions. Instead, especially when it comes to war, American soldiers become indentured servants whether they volunteer out of patriotism or are drafted through economic desperation. Does it matter what the soldier believes is morally right? If this is a war of necessity, why force men and women to fight? When it comes to a war of ideology, the lines between right and wrong are blurred. How tragic it is when the term Catch-22 defines the modern American military.

Aside from the reality of indentured servitude, the American soldier in theory is much nobler. Soldier or officer, when we swear our oath it is first and foremost to the Constitution and its protectorate, the people. If soldiers realized this war is contrary to what the Constitution extols - if they stood up and threw their weapons down - no President could ever initiate a war of choice again. When we say, "… Against all enemies foreign and domestic," what if elected leaders became the enemy? Whose orders do we follow? The answer is the conscience that lies in each soldier, each American, and each human being. Our duty to the Constitution is an obligation, not a choice.

The military, and especially the Army, is an institution of fraternity and close-knit camaraderie. Peer pressure exists to ensure cohesiveness but it stamps out individualism and individual thought. The idea of brotherhood is difficult to pull away from if the alternative is loneliness and isolation. If we want soldiers to choose the right but difficult path - they must know beyond any shadow of a doubt that they will be supported by Americans. To support the troops who resist, you must make your voices heard. If they see thousands supporting me, they will know. I have heard your support, as has Suzanne Swift, and Ricky Clousing - but many others have not. Increasingly, more soldiers are questioning what they are being asked to do. Yet, the majority lack awareness to the truth that is buried beneath the headlines. Many more see no alternative but to obey. We must show open-minded soldiers a choice and we must give them courage to act.

Three weeks ago, Sgt. Hernandez from the 172nd Stryker Brigade was killed, leaving behind a wife and two children. In an interview, his wife said he sacrificed his life so that his family could survive. I'm sure Sgt. Hernandez cherished the camaraderie of his brothers, but given a choice, I doubt he would put himself in a position to leave his family husbandless and fatherless. Yet that's the point, you see. People like Sgt. Hernandez don't have a choice. The choices are to fight in Iraq or let your family starve. Many soldiers don't refuse this war en masse because, like all of us, they value their families over their own lives and perhaps their conscience. Who would willingly spend years in prison for principle and morality while denying their family sustenance?

I tell this to you because you must know that to stop this war, for the soldiers to stop fighting it, they must have the unconditional support of the people. I have seen this support with my own eyes. For me it was a leap of faith. For other soldiers, they do not have that luxury. They must know it and you must show it to them. Convince them that no matter how long they sit in prison, no matter how long thiscountry takes to right itself, their families will have a roof over their heads, food in their stomachs, opportunities and education. This is a daunting task. It requires the sacrifice of all of us. Why must Canadians feed and house our fellow Americans who have chosen to do the right thing? We should be the ones taking care of our own. Are we that powerless - are we that unwilling to risk something for those who cantruly end this war? How do you support the troops but not the war? By supporting those who can truly stop it; let them know that resistance to participate in an illegal war is not futile and not without a future.

I have broken no law but the code of silence and unquestioning loyalty. If I am guilty of any crime, it is that I learned too much and cared too deeply for the meaningless loss of my fellow soldiers and my fellow human beings. If I am to be punished it should be for following the rule of law over the immoral orders of one man. If I am to be punished it should be for not acting sooner. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period … was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people."

Now, I'm not a hero. I am a leader of men who said enough is enough. Those who called for war prior to the invasion compared diplomacy with Saddam to the compromises made with Hitler. I say, we compromise now by allowing a government that uses war as the first option instead of the last to act with impunity. Many have said this about the World Trade Towers, "Never Again." I agree. Never again will we allow those who threaten our way of life to reign free - be they terrorists or elected officials. The time to fight back is now - the time to stand up and be counted is today.

I'll end with one more Martin Luther King Jr. quote:One who breaks an unjust law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.

Thank you and bless you all.

The only thing Watada said that I would disagree with is that he claimed that he is not a hero. He is a leader, yet again, by taking this stance. And he may never know how many lives he has already touched.

Today, it is up to the anti-war movement to make sure his leadership touches as many soldiers' lives in Iraq as possible. Watada is making his stand. He needs continued support.

As he said, if more American soldiers in Iraq know that they, along with their families, will be supported if they stand up against this illegal occupation, countless more will follow, and this repulsive war will end.

_______________________________________________(c)2006 Dahr Jamail.All images, photos, photography and text are protected by United States and international copyright law. If you would like to reprint Dahr's Dispatches on the web, you need to include this copyright notice and a prominent link to the DahrJamailIraq website. Website by photographer Jeff Pflueger's Photography Media. Any other use of images, photography, photos and text including, but not limited to, reproduction, use on another website, copying and printing requires the permission of Dahr Jamail. Of course, feel free to forward Dahr's dispatches via email.

Water Conflict in the Middle East

The following paper was presented two years ago, in the WILPF Congress is Sweden. Two years before the attack on Lebanon which involved massive depopulation, flattening of whole villages, reminiscent of the ethnic cleansing after 1948.

Could it be that the Israelis want to live in the desert but consume water as if they were in France, the US, or the UK?

Water Conflict in the Middle East

The Lebanese-Israeli case

Roula Zoubiane

IEC member, WILPF Lebanon

Oil has always been thought of as the traditional cause of conflict in the Middle East past and present. No longer. Now, most borders have been set, oil fields mapped and reserves accurately estimated–unlike the water resources, which are still often unknown.

Water is taking over from oil as the likeliest cause of conflict throughout the Middle East, where the natural facts of water supply and the socio political facts of water control, consumption and demand interplay to form a complex hydro-political web. The allocations of the region’s three major river basins–the Nile, the Euphrates, the Tigris and the Jordan–are nascent sources of tension, and potential sources of conflict. However, of all of the Middle East’s river basins, it is the Jordan River that hosts the most fraught and inflammable dispute, and so for the two following reasons:

The most serious water conflicts in the region have centered on control of the tributaries and groundwater reservoirs of the Jordan-Yarmouk river basin. Its water resources are still an integral part both of the ongoing conflict and of the currently paralyzed peace process, shaping the foreign policy of its riparian Middle Eastern countries: Syria, Historical Palestine (nowadays Palestine and Israel), Jordan and Lebanon, in their mutual relationship, which is known as water diplomacy. This new concept means that water is seen as an important factor in determining a country’s foreign policy, one which has caused war and featured peace, but which is unlikely to cause a new war.

One should not forget that the struggle for the possession of land and water has been the two-pronged basis of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The conflict began in this basis (Jordan–Yarmouk River basin) as a result of early Zionism with its aim of establishing a Jewish state in Palestine and this conflict has been the center of interstate conflict since the establishment of Israel in 1948, a process which was motivated by two purposes:

The first one was related to ideology: In fact, as soon as the Zionist movement started settling the Jews in Palestine, it took an intense interest in water. Its aspiration to "make the desert bloom" reflected the ideological view that water was the "lifeblood of the system," a prerequisite for a new society" and "a nation rooted in its lands". Thus water carries an ideological weight for Israelis.

The second purpose was related to both security and economy. In fact, water has also been related to the crucial matter of settlements which are seen as essential for security purpose: They are a first step in consolidating territory and in providing frontier resistance and time in case of attack.

Thus water has been strongly related to the national interest through agriculture, security and ideology that the former Prime Minister Moshe Sharrett declared: "Water to us is life itself."

A glance at the history of Israel’s water policy reveals how its tactical emphasis has shifted while its dominant strategy has never changed. Israel’s water policy has passed through four stages: The first is distinguished by bargaining for water. The second stage can be characterized as the development of national and shared water resources. The third stage is marked by Israeli occupation of the region head waters. The fourth stage is a return to bargaining tactics. During these four stages, Israel has maintained a single master policy:

- to increase its water resources.

- to overcome environmental constraints in making the desert bloom.

- to make the Jewish homeland meet the needs of an ever-increasing population which seeks improved economic and social conditions.

As far as Lebanon is concerned, there are in the southern part of this country, three rivers around which one of the multiple aspects of the Lebanese-Israeli conflict has always revolved. The Litani is a small river and flows entirely inside Lebanon; therefore it is a "Lebanese river", but the Israelis wanted always to use its water even before the establishment of the state of Israel.

The Zionist movement, which recognized the importance of water in the area from the very beginning, included the river in the borders of the "to be established" state of Israel at that time. These borders included also all the main water resources in the area: the complete Jordan River system (including Yarmuk, Dan, Banias, Hasbani rivers, lake Tiberias, Dead Sea, etc.), Golan Heights, all water resources in Palestine, etc. The Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1978 was called "Litani Operation".

During Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982, Israeli troops, as verified by Norwegian UN observers and aknowledged in 1983 by Israeli Science Minister Yuval Ne’eman in a candid TV interview, did tests to determine the suitability of a pipe to channel Litani water into the Israeli water system. Ne’eman said Israel abandoned the idea because of political risks and the "low yield of water". Small amounts of Litani water may have been pumped into tank trucks and delivered to Israeli or SLA installations.

From the time it occupied southern Lebanon and the Western Bekaa, Israel set out to destroy installations and displace the population while preventing those remaining from availing themselves of the waters of the Warzani and Hasbani rivers. Since 1978, Israel has been intent on gaining possession of all the waters of the two rivers, or approximately 16million cubic meters yearly.

Extremely shortened version of the paper given by Roula Zoubiane on behalf of WILPF Lebanon at the Kungälv Congress in 2004.

The American people have been sold the notion that Israel's bombardment of Lebanon was justified by an unprovoked "kidnapping" of two Israeli soldiers on July 12. The reality now appears to be quite different: that U.S. President George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert signed off on the war almost two months earlier and then sought a pretext.

George W. Bush used the latest terrorism scare to remind Americans that he is their protector in a long war against "Islamic fascists." (As I've mentioned before, that term is an oxymoron, for one belies the other.)

But the history of the past five years is that Bush and al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden have enjoyed a strangely symbiotic relationship that included bin Laden's "October Surprise" videotape that may have put Bush over the top in Election 2004. The new fears about mid-air explosions are sure to boost Republican political prospects again.

For the full story about how Bush and bin Laden continue to benefit from the other's actions, read Robert Parry's article at Consortiumnews.com.

Amid the political and diplomatic fallout from Israel’s faltering invasion of Lebanon, some Israeli officials are privately blaming President George W. Bush for egging Prime Minister Ehud Olmert into the ill-conceived military adventure against the Hezbollah militia in south Lebanon.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Six Nations Update - August 11th, 2006

This is spokesperson Hazel Hill's August 11 update from the Six Nations land reclamation site:

Good Morning from Grand River.

It's been a few days [August 8] since Justice Marshall made his [phony] ruling that the contempt of court orders must be upheld, and that negotiations were to stop until the people and the barricades have been removed from the site. This created quite a stir within the Six Nations as well as within the [nearby] town of Caledonia. That same night the residents of Caledonia vented. They came [to the repossessed site] and gathered within about 40' of the main entrance.

Our people had gathered at the fire earlier in the evening. We decided that we would wait for them to return on August 23rd as originally planned. All of the side table meetings that had been scheduled were cancelled until further notice. The people felt that for security and safety reasons, the main entrance into the site should be blocked to protect the people.

The hydro tower that had been removed on July 11th was brought back onto the front entrance. The caledonia people probably thought the roads would be blocked again. That's when rushed toward the site. The Ontario Provincial Police had to form their human line again between the Caledonia mob, and the Six Nations people. There were lots of racial comments tossed around and stones at the Six Nations people. The fire hydrant hose was turned on and aimed at the Caledonia mob to cool them down.

A unity flag was taken by a young woman from caledonia. When the OPP tried to stop her, she slapped the officer and was taken into custody. We don't know if any charges were laid. We were informed that the person who sprayed the people with the hydrant hose would be being charged. Go figure, eh! This is the most frustrating. We've had over 50 charges laid against our people to date. While Caledonia people are crying that nothing is being done about the "terrorism", how many Caledoina people have been charged with racial violence and terroristic acts of hatred against our people? We, news cameras and the OPP have taped them. None have resulted in charges against them.

Things quieted down by 1:30 a.m. All Caledonians had gone home. It's been relatively quiet again since then. We have stepped up the security so none of our neighbours can incite any more violence.

The Caledonia Citizens Alliance (CCA) fnded by the government had previously indicated that their rallies were going to start again if the OPP and the government weren't going to remove us from our land. We often remind Caledonians and the rest of the world that this is NOT a Six Nations vs. Caledonia problem! It is between Six Nations and the Crown. The CCA continually try to fan the flames of racism. They want violence so the opp or other forces can come in and remove us from our land. So far, PEACE has prevailed. Even though they have created incidents, our security and the people have prevented the escalation of violence.

On Wednesday, the Attorney General of Ontario, along with the Canadian and Ontario representatives of the Crown announced that they are appealing Justice Marshalls decision. We all want peaceful talks tp continue. On August 23rd we are all to have our documentation available and ready to begin. Finally!!!! Lets get the proof on the table! We know what we have, now show us what you've got.

The Youth Camp is starting next week for 15 days. There will be teachings on i) wampum identification and history, ii) storytelling from the Creation Story and Great Law iii) History: where we came from & migration to Grand River iv) knowing your clan and roles and responsibilites v) self discipline techniques vi) men's roles vii) women's roles viii) human and legal rights, as well as Peace Power and Righteousness. We will be working within the arts of lacrosse, dingball, rattle and drum making, soapstone carving, painting and drawing, beading, making mocassins and sewing. These are the areas in which the youth have shown an interest.

The program is being supported by the elected band council. We want to ensure the many many supporters that we are here, that our position has not changed and we are maintaining peace on the land. If there are any further developments on the appeal, or on the land, we will inform you as soon as possible. Nya Weh!

In Peace, Light and Love, Hazel

NOTICE TO OUR SISTERS, BROTHERS, FRIENDS & ALLIES - FINANCES URGENTLY NEEDED: We are here to stay at Kanenstaton, our repossessed land. The cold weather and winter are coming and we are staying here. We are building an "Embassy/Information Center". We need funds to carry on for: legal expenses; to set up an office with phone and internet line, photocopier and computer. We need food; gas; generator fuel; materials for winterizing ten houses (roofing, dry wall, plumbing, electricial, siding, windows, doors, flooring, paint, furnaces, kitchen/laundry/bathroom appliances and materials); radios for communication; wood for the fire; gas and upkeep of our patrol vehicles; and winter clothes.

We invite you to come help us build our community. Call 905-517-7006; 519-445-0719; 905-765-9316.

These words of wisdom were painstakingly compiled by Tom Feeley, editor of the news site Information Clearing House. A few thought-provoking headlines with short previews follow, among them Norman Finkelstein's article: "Descent Into Moral Barbarism" and Mike Whitney's "Fighting Jim Crow in Israel" and Lebanese prime minister Fouad Siniora's comprehenseive peace plan. A couple articles by the renowned Robert Fisk are also included. All good, very interesting reads.

"The point of public relations slogans like "Support our troops" is that they don't mean anything... That's the whole point of good propaganda. You want to create a slogan that nobody's going to be against, and everybody's going to be for. Nobody knows what it means, because it doesn't mean anything. Its crucial value is that it diverts your attention from a question that does mean something: Do you support our policy? That's the one you're not allowed to talk about.": Noam Chomsky

="If those in charge of our society - politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television - can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power. They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselves.": Howard Zinn, historian and author

=Four sorrows ... are certain to be visited on the United States. Their cumulative effect guarantees that the U.S. will cease to resemble the country outlined in the Constitution of 1787.

First, there will be a state of perpetual war, leading to more terrorism against Americans wherever they may be and a spreading reliance on nuclear weapons among smaller nations as they try to ward off the imperial juggernaut.

Second is a loss of democracy and Constitutional rights as the presidency eclipses Congress and is itself transformed from a co- equal 'executive branch' of government into a military junta.

Third is the replacement of truth by propaganda, disinformation, and the glorification of war, power, and the military legions.

Lastly, there is bankruptcy, as the United States pours its economic resources into ever more grandiose military projects and shortchanges the education, health, and safety of its citizens.": Chalmers Johnson, Sorrows of Empire

====

Descent Into Moral Barbarism

By Norman Finkelstein

As Israel's military bravely fires away shells and missiles to lay waste the fragile human and physical infrastructure of Lebanon, Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, waging battle on a second front to legitimize Israel's criminal aggression, bravely fires away op-eds from his foxhole at Martha's Vineyard to lay waste the fragile infrastructure of international law.Read here

===Fighting Jim Crow in Israel

By Mike Whitney

In Israel, there is a two-tiered system of justice; one for Jews and another for non Jews; full-citizenship for Israeli-Jews and “Jim Crow” for Arabs.Read here

====What the Hell Has Happened To The Israeli Army?

By UriAvnery

On the 32nd day of the war, Hizbullah is still standing and fighting. That by itself is a stunning feat: a small guerilla organization, with a few thousand fighters, is standing up to one of the strongest armies in the world and has not been broken after a month of "pulverizing".Read here

===Tea and rockets: Café Society, Beirut-style

By Robert Fisk

Too many journos are wearing flak jackets and helmets, little spacemen who want to show they are "in combat" on television. I notice how their drivers and interpreters are usually not given flak jackets. These are reserved for us, the Westerners, the Protected Ones, Those Who Must Live.Read here

===New Ruler's of the World

A documentary film by John Pilger

'Global economy' is a modern Orwellian term. On the surface, it is instant financial trading, mobile phones, McDonald's, Starbucks, holidays booked on the net. Beneath this gloss, it is the globalisation of poverty, a world where most human beings never make a phone call and live on less than two dollars a day, where 6,000 children die every day from diarrhea because most have no access to clean water.

There were more thumps in the darkness across Beirut where an awful lot of people are suffering from terror - although I can assure George W that while the pilots of the aircraft dropping bombs across the city in which I have lived for 30 years may or may not be fascists, they are definitely not Islamic.Read here

===Put an end to the aggression

By Fouad SinioraPrime minister of Lebanon

Israel says this war is against Hizbullah, not Lebanon. But the Israeli terror is inflicted on all Lebanese. The indiscriminate murder of more than 1,100 Lebanese civilians (a third of them children), the massacres and "cleansing" of villages and the wanton destruction of our infrastructure are nothing short of criminal.Read here

According to the New York Times, the United States is considering a rush delivery of cluster bombs to Israel to be used in their ground offensive in Lebanon.

We urge you to call your U.S. Senators(202-224-3121) to oppose the transfer of cluster bombs and to ask him/her to call on President Bush and Secretary Rice to halt the transfer of this indiscriminate weapon to Israel.

Given Israel's past record with cluster munitions, which scatter scores of bomblets over a wide area, Amnesty International is concerned that Israel will use these weapons in civilian populated areas, unnecessarily killing or injuring civilians.

Today's BuzzFlash editoral writes that NBC has confirmed suspicions some of us, including BuzzFlash, had about the timing of the alleged British terror plot. The White House used it to make political points and actually compromised national security.

"The White House forced the UK to move up the timing of the alleged terror cell arrests, against the recommendations of the British intelligence agencies. By so doing, the Bush Administration compromised the investigation and kept it from obtaining further evidence and contact names. In short, for purposes of political timing -- in order to make partisan points from the election of Ned Lamont -- the Bush Administration compromised our national security." (BuzzFlash)

As BuzzFlash has repeatedly editorialized, the Bush Administration is a detriment to America's national security. Our lives are increasingly at risk every day that they are in office.

They will never seriously battle the sources of terrorism in an effective, strategic fashion. That is because politically they need the terrorists as much as the terrorists need them. And the goals of the Bush Administration are the consolidation of power and the acquisition of natural resources and economic dominance, not the eradication of terror.

Only the naive and the Rush Limbaugh Stepford-Red Staters can possibly draw any other conclusion.

NBC just confirmed -- as BuzzFlash editorialized earlier this week about the politics of terrorism -- that the White House forced the UK to move up the timing of the alleged terror cell arrests, against the recommendations of the British intelligence agencies. By so doing, the Bush Administration compromised the investigation and kept it from obtaining further evidence and contact names. In short, for purposes of political timing -- in order to make partisan points from the election of Ned Lamont -- the Bush Administration compromised our national security.

Furthermore, NBC confirms that UK sources indicate that the alleged terrorist plan was not near operational. Indeed, the hijackers -- who are British citizens -- did not even have passports! (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14320452/)

This is an extraordinary betrayal of America's national security, purely done so that Cheney, Snow and Bush could attack the Democrats as weak on national security, knowing that the arrest announcement was going to be made on Wednesday, because they picked the day of the arrest.

These use of Rovian-timed terrorist announcements -- often extremely, extremely exaggerated (as in the case of the Liberty City Insane Clown Posse and the alleged Manhattan Tunnel explosions that would have defied the laws of gravity if they were planned to "flood" lower Manhattan) -- are basically treason.

They are meant to frighten Americans into voting Republican. The only viable winning platform of the Busheviks now (and remember that they cannot afford either House of Congress to become Democratic, because it would likely lead to investigations and the impeachment and prosecution of the senior Bush Administration staff) is something like: "You see what the terrorists will do if the Republicans are not here to protect you. The Democrats will just mollycoddle them. Fear for your lives and vote Republican."

After six years of cynical rule and five years of an alleged "war on terrorism" that has killed tens of thousands more people than the terrorists have, all the White House has to do is invoke premeditated fear into Americans.

And it has worked up to now.

Look at the media this week. The alleged British terror plot dominates the leads in television, radio and newpapers around the nation. Fear is a powerful tool. It goes right from the media into the brain. It appeals to our Reptilian sense of self-protection.

That is why it is the tool of demagogues.

Yes, there are terrorists out there who wish to do citizens of the United States harm. But yes, we also unleashed them in Iraq to do us and each other harm. Bush is breeding new ones every day in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bush hasn't reduced terrorism; he has increased its threat.

And that is fine with Rove, because Rove has been out front and openly stated through three election cycles that the GOP will win by painting the Democrats as soft on terrorism.

The Bush White House and GOP campaign apparatus will lie, cheat, steal, manipulate our emotions -- and even carry out policies that breed terrorists, because they need terrorism in order to win elections. They would lose in a landslide if people were to vote on public policy issues.

So they need fear. It is the only fuel that will help them achieve a one-party dictatorial state for a century, as Grover Norquist and Karl Rove have promised.

Who is creating a new generation of terrorists? Not the Democrats (except for Joe Lieberman, but he has clearly cut a deal with the White House a long time ago to be one of them – and remain a Democrat on foreign policy in name only.)

Now, more than 60% of Americans oppose the war in Iraq. Ned Lamont -- a descendant of the robber Baron J.P. Morgan, a fourth-generation Harvard graduate, and a self-made millionaire -- is no radical.

It is the Bush Administration that is radical, extremist, and basically treasonous.

At the same time it was politically manipulating the arrests of the alleged British terrorists, it was trying to decrease a Congressional allotment of millions of dollars to increase our ability to detect explosives that could be carried on planes. It has already allowed box cutters, nail clippers, scissors and razors back on airplanes. It has done almost nothing to ensure the security of cargo that is shipped on planes, which is how the Pan Am plane was blown up over Scotland. (You don't even need a suicide terrorist to blow up a plane in mid-air.)

Bush blew off the warnings of an impending 9/11 and told the CIA briefer who came to him with them to get out and then used an expletive deleted. Bush then did nothing. He didn't want his vacation disturbed -- and then 9/11 happened. And when it did happen, after Bush failing to take steps to protect us, he read "The Pet Goat" for several minutes before his handlers could write "comments" for him. And then he inexplicably got on Air Force One and flew AWAY from Washington, D.C.

As Americans, all of us have our lives at stake while these cynical, power hungry, demagogues are ruling the nation.

Yes, there are terrorists in the world who wish us harm.

Many of them, have indeed, been drawn to terrorism as a result of Bush Administration action.

The goals of the White House are not to stop terrorism; the goal of the White House is to allow terrorism to fester in order to -- as is the basic game plan for dictators goes -- use fear to consolidate tyrannical power and do away with our Constitutional checks and balances of government and guarantee of individual liberties.

If you can't see that they are traitors in the White House, then you are risking your own lives and the lives of your families.

If you value those lives – and your own – we cannot, as a nation, any longer afford a White House and a Republican party that only knows the politics of using terrorism as a political tool, while running only an ineffective “show war” to reduce the threat of terrorists.

Ashcroft Profiting as National Security Lobbyist

Former US attorney general John D. Ashcroft has emerged as the highest-ranking former Bush administration official to lobby for and invest in companies involved in homeland security. Privacy experts and civil libertarians warn that these types of businesses are fast becoming a de facto branch of the government, beyond traditional oversight.

Cindy Sheehan Hospitalized in Crawford

Peace activist Cindy Sheehan has been taken to a hospital in Waco Texas. Sheehan who has been on a liquids-only fast for 37 days was suffering from dehydration and exhaustion. Sheehan is in Crawford, again pressuring George W. Bush to meet with her regarding the death of her son Casey Sheehan, a US soldier KIA in Iraq.